Chapter 261: Victory Built on Sacrifice is No Victory

If it were Dolores, Belisa, Dubin, Yellow Bear, Gwen the Dappled Stag, or Bancroft the Swift Wolf, Charlot would never consider using their extraordinary lives to pile on the death of a higher-rank Transcendent.

Even if he lost his mind, he wouldn’t do such a thing.

That would be beyond foolish.

If it were the orc Transcendent guards, Charlot might ponder the idea briefly, but he would ultimately abandon such thoughts because he truly believed that victory gained through sacrifice was no victory at all.

Even though these labyrinth guards could technically be considered abominations, Charlot still couldn’t bring himself to make that decision.

Charlot had always admitted that he was neither a competent military strategist nor a capable commander. He only wanted to lead the West Wind Knight Order through this war with as few casualties as possible. He had no desire to achieve great merit or renown.

Every battle he had fought so far was one he couldn’t avoid, each with a reason that left him no choice.

But Charlot didn’t think any reason was worth sacrificing his subordinates just to kill Chloe Hadrian.

While Chloe was undoubtedly an exceptional commander of a knight order, to Charlot, he wasn’t worth that price.

Ultimately, Charlot gave up on the idea of a raid. Instead, he first withdrew part of the West Wind Knight Order’s forces, taking all the supplies with them and leaving only the swiftest elites behind.

This tactic was one he had picked up after engaging in several pursuit battles.

With elite forces holding the battlefield, the enemy would hesitate to give chase, ensuring the safe retreat of the supplies. Once the supplies were secure, the elites could retreat swiftly, leaving the enemy powerless to act.

Charlot maneuvered while engaging in skirmishes, weaving a large loop behind the Black Phoenix Dynasty’s main army. Unbeknownst to him, his actions had a profound impact on the entire battlefield.

The main forces of the Black Phoenix Dynasty were caught between the need to confront Clair Bretagne’s Purple Finch Knight Order on the front lines and the fear of an attack on their rear, leading to significant logistical and strategic difficulties.

Seizing this opportunity, Clair Bretagne launched a fierce assault, forcing the Black Phoenix Dynasty’s primary knight order to retreat and reversing the battlefield's downward spiral.

At the same time, Ebner Soumet took advantage of the chaos to strike at the rear, annihilating two auxiliary knight orders of the Black Phoenix Dynasty. The battle grew increasingly intense.

Charlot, deep in enemy territory, had no idea what was happening on the main battlefield. His goal had been to escape back to Interlaken, not to engage the Black Phoenix Dynasty’s main forces.

For nearly two months, Charlot fought in the enemy’s rear. Every time he thought he had found a path to retreat, Chloe Hadrian would “intercept” him. What Charlot didn’t realize was that every route he found happened to be a weak point in the Black Phoenix Dynasty’s main army. If he broke through from there, it could destabilize their entire front line. Chloe couldn’t risk letting him pass and intercepted him each time with all his might.

Charlot, unaccustomed to such prolonged combat, felt utterly exhausted both mentally and physically. After finally escaping another pursuit by Chloe, he longed for a place to rest for a few days and replenish his supplies.

During this period, Charlot had carried out many raids. Each time, he left IOUs for the Black Phoenix Dynasty’s civilians, stating that they could exchange them for centime and flor at Mostar Castle or Silver Dove Castle. Despite this gesture, he couldn’t shake the emptiness he felt after each raid.

He always felt that such actions were wrong, but he had no other choice to keep his army going.

What Charlot didn’t know was that while he plundered from the front, Chloe’s forces behind him were driven to despair.

Charlot, ever the military novice, adhered to a simple principle: never leave supplies for the enemy. His raids were devastatingly thorough, leaving not even a needle for the pursuing troops.

He didn’t bother burning the supplies he couldn’t carry. With his Mind Channel ability, he could transport materials directly to Machubi Fortress, Silver Dove Castle, Mostar Castle, Cappadocia, and Interlaken. While he couldn’t retrieve them later, he ensured nothing went to waste.

Charlot’s aggressive looting left Chloe’s forces struggling to resupply, forcing them to fetch provisions from distant locations. This logistical strain made it increasingly impossible to keep up with Charlot’s West Wind Knight Order.

Meanwhile, Charlot’s rampant raids had caused an uproar in the Black Phoenix Dynasty’s court, sparking heated arguments among the politicians, who turned on each other and even blamed the frontline forces.

As Charlot considered his next direction of retreat, a werewolf scout came rushing in to report, “Commander, ahead is Oia Town.”

Charlot was shocked. Half of his geographical knowledge came from his past life and was useless in this world; the other half came from his university studies. Unsurprisingly, he had lost his sense of direction in the chaotic retreat.

He never expected to stumble upon Oia Town.

Oia Town wasn’t a small town. Much like how Shijiazhuang wasn’t a mere village, Oia Town was a large city. However, it belonged to the Black Phoenix Dynasty and wasn’t near the border.

Charlot was startled because Oia Town was deep within the Black Phoenix Dynasty’s territory.

“What should we do now? How did we penetrate this far into their land?” he wondered.

“Hmm, I heard Oia Town is a free trade city with no stationed troops!”

“Not sure if what I learned in university is accurate.”

While Charlot’s mind raced, his instincts—honed through countless battles—kicked in. Without a second thought, he waved his hand and commanded, “Capture Oia Town!”

The West Wind Knight Order had now grown to nearly five thousand men, bolstered by recruits, including Lady Nancella’s followers and a substantial number of Black Phoenix citizens. During his raids, Charlot had distributed IOUs to reassure the populace, but some chose to follow him out of desperation.

Those who caused trouble along the way were quietly sent back to Machubi Fortress in secret locations.

This practice led the remaining Black Phoenix followers to perceive Charlot as “ruthless.” The result was a more obedient group since dissenters seemed to mysteriously disappear.

Charlot’s talent for organizing troops was his most developed military skill. He distributed these recruits across different combat squads, managing them with surprising efficiency.

At Charlot’s command, this rapidly expanding knight order stormed into Oia Town.

The residents of Oia Town, who had been living peacefully, were stunned to see the Fars Empire’s knights. Overwhelmed and unprepared, they surrendered without much resistance.

After capturing Oia Town, Charlot heard the long-absent voice of the Diary in his mind:

“Charlot Mecklenburg has become the ruler of Oia Town. The conditions for labyrinthification have been met. Collect taxes eighteen times to complete the process. Until then, you may not leave.”

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